The Pro Kabaddi Season 6 ended with Bengaluru Bulls claiming their maiden title win against Gujarat Fortune Giants in the final. The season threw up some brilliant performances throughout the season. There were some brilliant defensive performances by various players in the season, we look at the 5 best defenders of PKL 6 those who consistently made decisive impact for their teams and were a terror for opposition raiders. Our list includes two left corners, two young left covers and a record breaking right corner.
PKL 6
Nitesh Kumar: The young U.P Yoddha right corner enjoyed a stunning PKL season ending the campaign with barely believable numbers. The 21-year old broke several records on the way to being named the best defender of PKL 6. The right corner became the first player in PKL history to score 100 tackle points in a PKL season. His tally of 8 High 5s were also the joint most along with Surender Nada in a PKL season. Nitesh, the youngest member of the Yoddha defence almost single handedly kept the opposition raiders at bay when many of his senior defenders struggled for form. Nitesh has emerged as one of the most complete defenders of PKL with his vice like ankle and thigh holds.
Fazel Atrachali: Fazel created history when he became the first foreigner to be bought at the auction for 1 Crore Rupees. U Mumba named him as their Captain for the season as he formed an all foreigner double act with Head Coach Gholamreza who was the first foreign coach in PKL. The Iranian “Iron Man” once again enjoyed a spectacular PKL campaign leading U Mumba to their first play-off in 3 years. The 26-year old finished the campaign with 83 tackle points, the 3rd highest in PKL 6. The left corner also became the firsts foreigner to score 200 tackle points in PKL history, the only disappointment for Fazel in a fine season was the fact that this was the first time the former wrestler failed to make the finals of PKL.
Parvesh Bhainswal: Parvesh Bhainswal enjoyed another stellar campaign proving that his exploits in PKL 5 weren’t one off. The left cover formed PKL 6’s deadliest combination with right cover Sunil Kumar, the duo when attacked together rang the death knell for the opposing raiders. The 21-year old scored 86 tackle points, the most by a cover defender in PKL 6 and only U.P Yoddha’s Nitesh Kumar scored more tackle points. The tall defender is blessed with a deadly thigh hold to go with blocks and chain tackles making him the most lethal cover in the business. His performances in the last 2 seasons means the International reckoning is just a matter of time.
Mahender Singh: The Bengaluru Bulls defender came of age and shrugged of the inconsistencies and rashness that plagued him in PKL 5. The left cover displayed vast varieties of skills and displayed impressive versality by slotting in all the defensive positions as per team’s requirement which made him a key cog in Bengaluru’s title triumph. The 22-year old scored 63 tackle points, the most by a Bulls defender and his 6 High 5s were also the most by a Bengaluru Bulls player.
Vishal Bhardwaj: Another young defender Vishal Bhardwaj made his mark in PKL 6 with consistently brilliant performances. The young left corner scored 60 tackle points in just 17 matches at an average of 3.53 tackle points per match, only Nitesh Kumar and Fazel Atrachali had better average tackle points per match. The Titans Captain also made 9 super tackles, the most by a player in PKL 6. The 20-year old missed 5 matches and the Titans won just 1 out of those 5 matches proving how crucial Vishal was for the fortunes of Telugu Titans.
